Trades Alberta: Tradespeople turned entrepreneurs enjoy hands-on work

Darren Rivet, owner of Diesel Tech Industries in Edmonton, works on a truck at his shop on Nov. 16, 2012.

Photograph by: Jason Franson
, Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON - At Diesel Tech Truck Repair in Edmonton’s west end, mechanics service and repair various makes and models of diesel trucks.

The company, which opened in 1999 with four employees and two service bays, now employs 26 people working in 15 service bays. Diesel Tech Industries, another division of the firm, develops and manufactures remote shut down valves for diesel engines.

At the helm of this growing business is owner and operator Darren Rivet, 50, a heavy-duty mechanic with more than 30 years of experience.

“I always wanted my own shop, right from childhood,” said Rivet.

He took automotive courses at Edmonton’s St. Joseph Catholic High School and continued to work with cars, then discovered a passion for bigger trucks.

He attended the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and became a journeyman in heavy-duty mechanics. The trade is now called heavy-equipment technician and includes various subcategories: heavy-duty equipment mechanic (off road), transport trailer mechanic and truck and transport mechanic. Heavy-equipment technicians maintain, repair and overhaul heavy vehicles and industrial equipment.

Before opening his own shop, Rivet took night courses in business at Grant MacEwan College, which is now known as MacEwan University.

“They were absolutely helpful as they gave me a better idea of what I was doing and what I was trying to accomplish,” he said.

Various courses exist for tradespeople who want to develop their business skills, ranging from continuing education classes to business programs tailored to journeypeople.

The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology recently announced a trades to degree program that will allow certified tradespeople to move directly into the third year of NAIT’s four-year bachelor of business administration program.

Another certification is the Blue Seal Program, which the Alberta Apprenticeship and Training Board established in 1997 to encourage and recognize business training in the skilled trades. To be granted a Blue Seal certificate, certified Alberta journeypeople take business training at post-secondary institutions around the province. There were 124 Blue Seal certificates issued in 2011 and as of Nov. 13, 126 certificates had been issued this year, said a spokeswoman from Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education.

Armed with the business knowledge he gained at MacEwan, Rivet opened Diesel Tech. He remembers initially putting in a lot of extra hours to satisfy customers and build up a base of clients.

“In the earlier days I was working until two or three in the morning,” he said.

One of the biggest challenges, Rivet said, is finding qualified staff. He competes with employers in Fort McMurray, where heavy-equipment technicians are in demand and wages are often higher.

He advises people entering the trade to “keep your thumb on everything going on.” Rivet has spent the last 30 years doing just that. He’s still often called onto the shop floor for troubleshooting.

“I have a lot of experience with engines,” he said.

For Brad Hollman, owner of Falcon Welding, a desire to run his own business was sparked by watching his father do the same.

“I grew up in the trade,” said the 30-year-old. “At 16, I became a full-time employee during the summers and then I worked through school and after hours at my dad’s shop,” said Hollman, who is a journeyman welder like his father.

During his time at Red Deer College, Hollman competed in Skills Canada, an Olympic-style competition for trades students and apprentices. He won gold at the provincial and national level in 2003.

“For tradespeople, it’s our one kick at the can for recognition of the workmanship we can provide to the economy,” Hollman said.

He started his own company in Red Deer in 2006 and in 2009, when his father wanted to retire, he bought out his father’s shop and amalgamated the two into Falcon Welding. The firm completes a variety of welding work on structures ranging from schools and office buildings to bridges.

The know-how to run the five-employee company comes from various places, said Hollman.

“There’s lots of life skills that were taught to me from my dad running his business. I also went through the 4-H program and learned public speaking, balancing books, budgets, that aspect of things,” Hollman said. “I picked up skills along the way.”

Hollman said he enjoys his leadership role, dealing with clients and employees, while still being able to work as a welder.

“Working hands-on in the field is what I love to do,” he said. “I don’t plan on increasing the size of the operation dramatically, as I don’t want to become a guy who sits around an office. I like getting my hands dirty.”

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